Russia has called on diplomats from foreign countries to leave Kyiv.

Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on diplomatic missions to urgently evacuate their staff in Kyiv. Moscow warned that if Ukraine attempts to disrupt the events of May 9 — Victory Day — retaliatory strikes could be launched against Kyiv. Al Jazeera reported this.

 

Russian Foreign Ministry official spokesperson Maria Zakharova, in a video address on Telegram, urged foreign diplomatic missions to take the Russian Defense Ministry's warning seriously. According to her, if Ukraine targets events held in connection with Victory Day or the military parade on Red Square, Russia will take retaliatory measures.

 

Zakharova emphasized the need for the timely evacuation of diplomats and other mission personnel due to the possibility of a retaliatory strike by the Russian Armed Forces on Kyiv.

 

Additionally, the Russian side accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of making "threatening statements" about disrupting Victory Day events during the meeting of the European Political Community held in Armenia.

 

Zelenskyy wrote on social media platform X that Russia is moving air defense systems from various regions of the country to the vicinity of Moscow ahead of the military parade on May 9, noting that this expands the possibilities for long-range attacks for Ukraine.

 

"This shows that the Russian leadership is not preparing for a ceasefire, which has been mentioned in many statements, and is more concerned about the parade in Moscow than about other regions of Russia. At the same time, this creates additional opportunities for our long-range strikes. We will set appropriate priorities accordingly," Zelenskyy said.

 

Meanwhile, both sides are accusing each other of violating the ceasefire. Ukraine declared a unilateral ceasefire on May 6, while Russia also proposed a temporary ceasefire in connection with the Victory Day events on May 9.